No Limits: How Janelle Ginestra Is Building a Dance Empire

Photo Joe Toreno

Much of Janelle Ginestra's career has been about helping others shine. She's dedicated herself to supporting and cheerleading her partner, WilldaBeast Adams; the emerging talents in their dance company, ImmaBEAST; and the countless dancers she inspires at master classes and conventions. Her YouTube channel has become a launching pad for young talents like "Fraternal Twins" Larsen Thompson and Taylor Hatala, thanks to viral videos featuring Ginestra's creative vision.

But Ginestra's a skyrocketing success in her own right—an in-demand choreographer, a social media influencer, and a dance entrepreneur, building a legacy one eight-count at a time. It's time for her turn in the spotlight. And she's more than ready. "I want to be a legend in whatever I do," she says. We'd argue that she already is.

Becoming a Beast

Ginestra's desire to dance sparked at age 2, and she took classes at a local studio in her hometown of Santa Clara, CA, until she was 7. At that point, she moved to L.A. with her mom so Ginestra could pursue another dream: an acting career. Though she landed some commercials and jobs on TV shows, she and her mom decided to head back to Northern California once Ginestra entered high school. "My mom wanted me to have a normal high school experience, so she moved us to Modesto," says Ginestra.

Photos by Toreno

The only problem? Modesto wasn't exactly a dance destination. "The dance schools there weren't serious enough for me," Ginestra says. Instead, she got into competitive cheerleading, which was popular in the area. She trained at Starstruck Cheer & Dance, and also joined a local pom team, whose precision helped her dance technique become "clean and polished," she says. And she connected with a local rap artist named Jiggy, who enlisted her as a choreographer and backup dancer for various events and concerts.

But the magnetic pull of Hollywood was strong, and Ginestra returned to L.A. soon after finishing high school. In those early days, she auditioned for "anything and everything," she says, training at Millennium Dance Complex and EDGE Performing Arts Center. Her cheer cred soon paid off, earning her roles in Fired Up! and Bring It On: Fight to the Finish. But her true focus was on becoming a working hip-hop dancer.

Unleashing the Beast

Though Ginestra says it took her "a while to get in the groove" professionally, the work came fast and furious once she found that groove. Movies like Alvin & The Chipmunks and Honey 2 and TV shows like "Glee," "The X Factor," and "Bunheads" gave her the chance to dance on camera, as did Nicki Minaj's music video for "Anaconda." She also toured with P!nk and Jennifer Lopez, and danced with Beyoncé during a Billboard Music Awards performance.

Photo by Toreno

Ginestra realized early on that creating a YouTube presence could help her get noticed in an even bigger way. She posted the first video on her channel in March 2010 (a solo to "My Chick Bad," by Ludacris). Around that time, she also met Adams at a rehearsal for L.A.'s monthly Choreographers Carnival event. Soon enough, the two were attending each other's classes at IDA Hollywood and posting joint class videos.

Adams was immediately drawn to Ginestra's larger-than-life personality and hard-hitting dance style. "I love that she'll try anything, whether people approve of it or not—her attitude is, 'This is me. Take it or leave it,' " Adams says. "That type of mentality can be very rare in Los Angeles, where everyone is trying to fit into the industry."

As the two began working together, Ginestra's style began to evolve. "Will has been my biggest hip-hop trainer," Ginestra says. "He took me from corny white girl to decent hip-hop dancer. Dancing next to such a strong man allowed me to mimic and take in that kind of energy."

Photo by Toreno

In 2013, Adams and Ginestra co-founded their dance company, ImmaBEAST. "Once you fulfill your dreams of being a backup dancer, you end up back at square one," Ginestra says. "Will told me, 'We can build something bigger than this. If we do this together, that's better than doing it alone. Let's create a brand and make it blow up.'" That's exactly what they did. The duo assembled a killer group of young dancers, including Larsen Thompson, Taylor Hatala, Jade Chynoweth, Kaycee Rice, Josh Killacky, and Gabe de Guzman. Ginestra let her choreographic imagination run wild, crafting super-creative concept videos and short films for YouTube. She struck viral gold with "IDFWU" (4.2-plus million views) and "Run the World" (7.8-plus million views), featuring Larsen and Taylor.

Feeding the Beast

Seven years after meeting, Ginestra and Adams are still going strong, both personally and professionally. In May, the couple got engaged at a surprise party Adams threw for Ginestra's 28th birthday. (True to form, the proposal can be seen on YouTube.) They've also grown ImmaBEAST into a full-fledged brand that includes apparel, the Beast Network (an online collection of videos and tutorials), and IMMA SPACE (a dance studio in North Hollywood).

In 2015, Adams and Ginestra mounted the first BuildaBeast Experience (BABE), expanding their annual company audition into a five-day immersive dance event. Seven hundred and fifty dancers came from 22 countries to learn from dance notables like Stephen "tWitch" Boss, Blake McGrath, Nick Demoura, and Cyrus "Glitch" Spencer. In the two years since, the event has continued to grow. This summer's BABE featured everything from inspirational speakers to pop-up performances to krump battles. "We eventually want to turn BABE into the dance and entertainment version of Coachella," Ginestra says. "We have very high goals for it."

Photos by Toreno

Ginestra also has her sights set on creative direction. In 2016, she and Adams directed a Delta commercial starring Serena Williams (as well as some familiar faces from ImmaBEAST), and Ginestra has also created a fashion-minded look-book video featuring rapper Cardi B's music. She's hoping to get back into acting, too.

No matter what, Ginestra will always keep mentoring young dancers. "Being a positive influence gives you a sense of purpose in a different way," she says. "When I see Kaycee doing an amazing job in class and know that I've helped guide her life in some way, it's such a rewarding feeling. I have lots of big plans, but I'll never stop teaching, because it's the most beautiful way to give back and inspire."

A version of this story appeared in the November 2017 issue of Dance Spirit with the title "No Limits."

When Hannahlei Cabanilla rolled up to her Dance Spirit cover shoot—just 36 hours after being named the "So You Think You Can Dance" Season 15 champion—she looked impossibly fresh-faced and well-rested. The Anaheim Hills, CA, native may have had "about eight blisters," as she joked, on her feet; she may barely have slept since the big win; and she may have just performed on "Live with Kelly and Ryan." But she jumped right on set, and quite literally didn't stop jumping for the next five hours. The fabulous technique, irresistible personality, and (especially) boundless energy that earned her the title of America's Favorite Dancer were all on full display.

So what was it actually like for Hannahlei to compete on the show she'd watched since she was a tiny dancer—and what's next for the now–19-year-old? Read on.

It's time to do your favorite happy dance because it's the most wonderful time of the year! The holidays are almost here, which means we can finally start dancing to Christmas music! With Just For Kix, you can easily dress the part for this holiday season.

Black Friday is starting early! Spend $100 and you will get a $50 gift card. What are you waiting for? Head over to www.justforkix.com and get the shopping started!

There's nothing like pint-size performers to remind us how much we have to be grateful for, and thanks to this week's performances on "Dancing with the Stars: Juniors," we have a few more things to add to the list. The theme for this week was "Giving Thanks" and these young dancers embodied gratitude as they each dedicated their routine to people who have inspired them. The sweetest part about these dedications was watching the stars dedicate their dances to their families—we're all about showin' the love to your tribe, especially when you can show it on the dance floor.

In our "Dear Katie" series, former NYCB soloist Kathryn Morgan answers your pressing dance questions. Have something you want to ask Katie? Email dearkatie@dancespirit.com for a chance to be featured!

Dear Katie,

I'm bowlegged, which I didn't think was a big deal, but now that I'm a more advanced dancer,I'm self-conscious about it—especially in first position, where it's really obvious. Is there anything I can do to camouflage my bow legs? Will I end up injured?

Jillian Vanstone and Joe Chapman in The Dream. (Karolina Kuras, courtesy National Ballet of Canada)

Next weekend, the National Ballet of Canada will perform The Dream, Frederick Ashton's 1964 one-act version of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Y'all know that dancing the roles of fairies, mischievous sprites, and star-crossed lovers is all in a typical day's work for professional ballet dancers. What's less typical for the three male dancers who perform as Bottom, the bumbling rustic who gets turned into a donkey? Dancing en pointe.

Choreographing is hard enough on its own, but add a two-hour time limit and two dancers from completely different genres, and the task of creating a dance can seem almost impossible.However, street dancer K-Flow and ballerina Toi'ya prove such a task to be possible, even if it's challenging. In this mesmerizing video, the two find ways to adapt their style of dance to the other's, which results in a completely stunning duet.

Keep reading...Show less

Get Dance Spirit in your inbox

Colder weather is (finally) here, which means it's time for a good dance movie binge. But which iconic films should you put on? To narrow your search, we went ahead and ranked 30 of the greatest dance movies of all time.

Of course, we know a list like this is bound to be controversial—so if you disagree with our lineup, have at it in the comments!

When Hannahlei Cabanilla rolled up to her Dance Spirit cover shoot—just 36 hours after being named the "So You Think You Can Dance" Season 15 champion—she looked impossibly fresh-faced and well-rested. The Anaheim Hills, CA, native may have had "about eight blisters," as she joked, on her feet; she may barely have slept since the big win; and she may have just performed on "Live with Kelly and Ryan." But she jumped right on set, and quite literally didn't stop jumping for the next five hours. The fabulous technique, irresistible personality, and (especially) boundless energy that earned her the title of America's Favorite Dancer were all on full display.

So what was it actually like for Hannahlei to compete on the show she'd watched since she was a tiny dancer—and what's next for the now–19-year-old? Read on.

Jillian Vanstone and Joe Chapman in The Dream. (Karolina Kuras, courtesy National Ballet of Canada)

Next weekend, the National Ballet of Canada will perform The Dream, Frederick Ashton's 1964 one-act version of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Y'all know that dancing the roles of fairies, mischievous sprites, and star-crossed lovers is all in a typical day's work for professional ballet dancers. What's less typical for the three male dancers who perform as Bottom, the bumbling rustic who gets turned into a donkey? Dancing en pointe.

It's one of those iconic only-in-NYC images: Tom Hanks and Robert Loggia making music with their feet in the middle of the legendary toy store FAO Schwarz. The uber-charming "giant piano" scene (choreographed by Pat Birch of Grease and the Martha Graham Dance Company) from the 1988 movie Big has since found its well-deserved place in many a supercut and pop-culture deep dive. But the Big piano has sadly been silent since FAO Schwarz suddenly closed its doors—seemingly for good—on July 15, 2015. Until today, that is!

If there's one thing we learned from the musical episode of "Riverdale" last season, it's that more television shows should follow along and have at least one dance-tastic episode. Sure, sometimes these can flop, but most of the time they only make us love the show even more. Here are 8 series that we think need an episode filled with dancey goodness RIGHT NOW.

One Sergei Polunin is great but two, three, or four Polunins, that's something we can really get behind. And now we don't even have to go to an alternative universe to enjoy multiple Polunin clones. In Hozier's latest music video, "Movement" the legendary ballet dancer's drool-worthy technique is on full display as multiple versions of Polunin break out dancing. And though this isn't the first time the ballet superstar has teamed up with Hozier, this performance is even more haunting than the pair's 2013 collaboration in the "Take Me to Church" video.

Each competition season comes with a range of emotions—emotions that tend to test even our strongest dance friendships. We spoke with comp-world veterans about how to deal with five common friendship-ruining competition scenarios, so you can keep the "forever" in "BFF."